Mission

The mission of the LAHC is to bring together centres of educational excellence reflecting the best of British and international educational practice in order to share expertise for school improvement in a spirit of reciprocal altruism that benefits all parties.

The association caters specifically for schools which give special importance to the English language, both as a medium for communication and as a language of teaching and learning.

Aims

The LAHC aims to:

create, develop and nurture a professional learning community within the region by sharing expertise and experience within and beyond the association

foster co-operation and dialogue among the member schools

provide mechanisms for context-sensitive school evaluation

keep member schools informed with respect to developments in educational theory and practice and in particular the areas of bilingual and bicultural education

encourage and maintain dialogue with relevant educational institutions and associations in Britain and the rest of the world

The activities of the association are organised around six hubs - Bogotá, Buenos Aires, Lima, Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro-Sao Paulo and Santiago – with individual schools being able to participate in activities in any of the hubs.

Each hub determines its own modus operando in accordance with the local conditions and the particular needs of that group of schools.

The association is run by an elected Executive Committee, made up of the heads of six schools, each representing one of the hubs, and a full time Executive Officer, appointed by and reporting to the Executive Committee.

Mission

The mission of the LAHC is to bring together centres of educational excellence reflecting the best of British and international
educational practice in order to share expertise for school improvement in a spirit of reciprocal altruism that benefits all parties.

The association caters specifically for schools which give special importance to the English language, both as a medium for communication and as a language of teaching and learning.

Aims

The LAHC aims to:

Create, develop and nurture a professional learning community within the region by sharing expertise and experience within and beyond the association

Foster co-operation and dialogue among the member schools

Provide mechanisms for context-sensitive school evaluation

keep member schools informed with respect to developments in educational theory and practice and in particular the areas of bilingual and bicultural education

Encourage and maintain dialogue with relevant educational institutions and associations in Britain and the rest of the world

Membership shall be determined by the Executive Committee following receipt of an application from the Head, which should be supported in writing by the Board of Governors, owner or other equivalent organ, according to the constitutional status of the school.

Full membership

The school qualifies for full membership if it fulfils all the following criteria:

It demonstrates a clear commitment to the Mission and Aims of the association.

It is willing to share expertise with other member schools for the mutual benefit of members of the association.

It is committed to continuous improvement through the use of the school review and other mechanisms afforded via membership of the association

It has bilingual status or gives emphasis to the teaching and use of the English language throughout its programme.

The Head has a fluent command of written and spoken English.

It can demonstrate a clear commitment to the principles and practice of safeguarding the welfare of its students through appropriate child protection and safe recruiting policies and procedures.

It can demonstrate compliance with local educational and health and safety regulations.

In the case of profit-making schools, the school reinvests a significant proportion of any surplus created.

In cases where a school consists of separate and independent sections or campuses, both or all sections may be considered separately for membership. In such a case, the membership fee is calculated on the basis of the number of pupils in the section or campus in question. Similarly, a self-contained Primary or Secondary School may be accorded membership, provided all the other specified criteria are met.

Disqualification of a member is at the recommendation of the Executive Committee, subject to ratification by the membership at the Annual General Meeting.

Honorary membership

Honorary membership is awarded, at the discretion of the Executive Committee, to former Heads of schools that are, or have been members of LAHC, in recognition of distinguished contribution to LAHC, the recommendation to be ratified by the membership.

Honorary membership entitles the holder to attend the Annual General Meeting in a non-voting capacity, to attend the Annual Conference and to receive those mailings deemed appropriate by the Executive Committee.

Honorary members attending the Annual Conference shall pay 25% of the fee charged to Full members plus their own travel and accommodation costs.

An Honorary member is exempt from the payment of annual fees.

The status of Honorary member is temporarily suspended where the person in question returns to a school that is eligible for Full membership.

Associate membership

Associate membership is open, at the discretion of the Executive Committee, to former Heads of schools that are, or have been members of LAHC, and to loyal supporters of LAHC.

Associate membership entitles the holder to attend the Annual General Meeting in a non-voting capacity, to attend the Annual Conference and to receive those mailings deemed appropriate by the Executive Committee.

Associate members attending the Annual Conference shall pay the same fee as Full members plus their own travel and accommodation costs.

An Associate member is exempt from the payment of annual fees.

The status of Associate member is temporarily suspended where the person in question returns to a school that is eligible for Full membership.

Members shall be free to participate in the activities organised by any and all of the hubs.

Member schools that are not located in one of the six hubs shall be free to operate as satellites of one or more hubs.

Representation

Each hub will be represented on the Executive Committee by the Head of one of the schools in the hub or a satellite school.

Communication

The organisation of activities and internal communication within a hub and its satellites will be determined by the schools in question in accordance with the local conditions and the particular needs of that group of schools.

Each member school shall have a designated member of staff other than the Head who is responsible for maintaining effective communication with the association and ensuring that relevant members of the school community receive information about the activities of the association.

Annual Conference

The Annual Conference will rotate on a six year cycle around the hubs or their satellites.

The association shall be administered by an Executive Committee made up of Heads of schools that are full members.

Terms of office

Members of the Executive Committee shall serve for terms of two years, after which they will be eligible for re-election, provided that they have not reached the limit of six consecutive years on the Committee.

In order to ensure continuity, members representing hubs A, C and E will be renewed every even year and members representing hubs B, D and F will be renewed every odd year.

Members of the Committee are required to stand down after six consecutive years but are entitled to stand for re-election following an interval of two years off the Committee.

Functions

The Executive Committee shall have the authority to determine the allocation of individual executive posts as may be expedient.

Elections

Nominations for the Executive Committee shall be submitted at the Annual General Meeting.

Election of Committee members shall be made by the membership at the Annual General Meeting according to the criteria for Committee membership stated above

Following this there is an election by the membership for the office of Chair. The Committee then appoints its own officers as stated above.

Replacement

Should a member of the Executive Committee, for any reason, cease to serve, the Committee shall co-opt a replacement representative from that hub for the remainder of the term of office.

Should the Chair, for any reason, cease to serve, the Committee shall appoint a replacement Chair from within the remaining Committee members to serve until the next Annual General Meeting.

Operation

The Executive Committee shall meet at least once during each calendar year and is responsible for arranging the Annual Conference, together with the host school, and the Annual General Meeting.

The Executive Committee will be supported by a full-time Executive Officer who will be appointed by the Committee and will report to the Chair.

The terms and conditions of the contract will be determined by the Committee, subject to approval by the Annual General Meeting.

The Committee will be empowered to contract any other employees that are required to carry out the work of the association, provided that the costs involved are contemplated within the budget of the association as approved by the membership.

The costs of the association shall be met by an annual membership fee based on the size of the school.

The membership fee shall be reviewed annually by the Executive Committee who shall make recommendations to the Annual General Meeting for approval.

Since attendance at the Annual Conference is a condition of membership, payment of the conference fee is mandatory.

Operating costs

An Annual Statement of Accounts for the previous year and an outline Budget for the following year shall be presented by the Treasurer at the Annual General Meeting.

The costs of attending any meetings of the association shall be borne by the individual member schools, with the exception of required meetings of the Executive Committee, which shall be financed out of association funds.

Voting at the Annual General Meeting
The majority needed to pass a motion at the Annual General Meeting is 66% of members present. Should the attendance be lower than 75% of the membership, the vote will be taken at the Annual General Meeting and absent members will be invited to submit an electronic vote within 10 working days of the Annual General Meeting. The total of the two votes will be communicated to the membership within 12 working days of the Annual General Meeting.

Voting by electronic ballot

The majority needed to pass a motion by electronic ballot is 66% of votes registered. Where fewer than 75% of members vote, the executive committee will set a limit of 10 working days after the given deadline, in order to secure a 75% return. Should this percentage not be reached, the motion will be temporarily carried by 66% of votes in favour and resubmitted for approval at the following Annual General Meeting.

The idea of forming an association of British schools in Latin America was conceived in September 1995 in Buenos Aires at a conference organised by ESSARP and the British Council. A subsequent meeting in Santiago College later that year laid the foundations for the association and it officially came into being at a meeting of the founder members in The British Schools, Montevideo, in 1996.

The original concept of an association of heads has been broadened to that of an association of schools represented by their heads, committed to "sharing expertise for school improvement". To this end the LAHC Review was developed in 1998 and has become a cornerstone of LAHC's educational purpose.

In 2001 a full-time Executive Officer was appointed to take care of the day to day operation of the association and coordinate the development and implementation of the review. In 2005 non-heads were welcomed to the Annual Conference for the first time and in 2014 students were also invited to attend.

Growth in numbers and in presence within the region has led to recognition and collaboration with international educational organisations such as the International Baccalaureate (IB) and Council of International Schools (CIS), as well as close cooperation with similar associations in other parts of the world (BSME, FOBISIA, COBIS, NABSS) and recognition by the British government. At the same time the educational focus of the association has broadened to include schools with a more international vision, although the British traditions and origins of the majority of member schools remain a defining characteristic of the association.